Diorama Getaway

The Retreat at Ardennes

2011-02-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is the first diorama I have done in about 6 years. The finished piece in it's native environment - freezing cold and snow. I hadn't planned on doing a step-by-step post, but I thought it was interesting the way this piece evolved. On future projects, I'll be more diligent in trying to capture the process.

This shows the very beginning stage. Adding the natural elements, scattering rubble, placing key items and trying to figure out what the story could be. I knew one thing for sure, I wanted to capture the feeling of desperation of retreat as the axis forces realized they were outnumbered.

This phase shows additional gear and debris being placed - At this point, I had decided that this one would be a snow scene to honor the 3 weeks of blizzards that hit Maine.

Here we see a HUGE leap in progress. Franky, I could have left it at this phase without the snow - thereby showing a lot more of the groundwork. I did however, go to town on the weathering process as well as adding various blankets, camo netting, rucksacks and other essential gear that would be appropriate for a machine gun nest. As you can see, only our shivering soldier is in the scene as the other figures were being painted separately. The foreground tree trunk was a gift from my garden this past summer. When I yanked it out of the ground i was shocked at how realistic the root core looked as a small scale tree. Glad I saved it.

Here is a good shot of our commander radioing that he and his team need to retreat immediately.

Now we've added our baking soda snow and started other final details like smoke in the smokestack. I started shooting in the yard to get the feel of a freezing day - which it was.

Here is a final shot showing some of the more intricate detail. This was a fun project in that it challenged me to constantly keep freezing temperatures in mind when building this. The next project challenge will be a very wet and muddy scene. Muddy, rainy conditions have always challenged finescale modelers to attempt to create the proper scale and shine. I look forward to it, as now my insomnia has an outlet.

NO VICTORY AHEAD

2009-12-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Continuing the 'found print with crappy background so i'll fix it in photoshop' theme, I have another desert scene where an old volkswagen is being repaired. There's a bunch of exhausted soldiers huddling around a cooking fire in front of an armored car.

Here's a zoomed in version - as you can see prints are somewhat limiting.

I managed to get a lot of different shots of the Volkswagen. This was the first time I had learned the beetle design came to being in 1933.

Here we can see how practical, yet laden down this Bug is.

Strangers in a strange land, survival is the only option.

A hot baking sun does not make getting the trick to volkswagen repair any easier.

Those bugs got banged up pretty good in the desert.

As history has since proven, the only thing ahead is defeat.

FOUND PRINTS

2009-12-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

Going through the boxes of crap in my attic, I have stumbled upon a large valise with photos in it. Fortunately some long-lost photos of earlier diorama work are in there. As I discover more, I'll be sure to post them right here..

This one I'll call "Middle East Meetup"

The Germans enlisted many locals and had them wear the uniform of the Afrika Korps. Here 2 locals share a couple minutes and a drink catching up on more domestic issues.

These 2 were depicting a gear-laden staff car in the Middle East.

This is only a fraction of an entire mini airiels complete with crew and plane. Not many photos exist sadly because at the time, I was most proud of this particular piece.

"Wary Pilots"
I used a bit of photoshop for the ackground. I captured some great foreground detail, but neglected to frame the overall shot. (something I learned once I went digital)

This is an overhead view of the previously mentioned scene as well as a very early attempt at photographing the work. It at least gives you an overall sense of how much is in the scene with the Stuka, as well as a sense of the early thawing spring on an airfield in France in 1943. This, along with the other found prints were shot on my roof deck on 61 Lexington Ave in New York city circe 1999/2000.

SAS SABOTAGE

2009-04-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

S.A.S. soldiers are arriving at a recently knocked out cannon emplacement. They are confirming there are no remaining troops or other danger.

Here is a similar angle but shot against a rock emplacement.

S.A.S. jeeps were notoriously loaded down for desert warfare. Water and fuels needed to always be carried along as well as ammo and other essential gear. We also see the extent of the damage to the now unusable cannon emplacement.

Here we see our other guy signaling down to to other troops the emplacement is indeed knocked out.

It's hot and dry, these guys just wanna get back in the shade.

The leftover ammo adds a suspicious air to the scene. Fortunately, this jeep is armed to the teeth.

Here is another sunny angle peering over the destroyed cannon.

Pressing deeper into Germany - Rathaus Stop.

2009-04-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here we see an allied jeep pulled up next to a knocked out "Rathaus". Allied tanks roll through the streets in the background pressing deeper into Germany. We see that there was a lot of activity in the area before the allies invaded. Our jeep driver has obviously stopped and found a collection of souvenirs from his tour of duty.

Here the guys are trading their various souvenirs, goofing off wearing enemy helmets and breathing a bit of a sigh of relief.

The ass end of an M3 Howitzer rolling through town. Ideal armor for urban assault.

Not much room for more souvenirs.

This is a good clean shot of a soldier looking through a perfectly centered bullet hole in the middle of a German helmet.

Lower angle POV of the jeep parked on the sidewalk.

The M3 rumbles over the cobblestones.

The jeep filled with swag and the bartering process.

Looking through the doorway of a still-smoldering Rathaus.

ABANDONED ELEFANT

2009-04-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

A command car has recently come upon a recently evacuated rural train station.

Well equipped for combat reconnaissance missions, this team was dispatched to confirm no enemy troops were still entrenched.

A walkaround the scene shows a massive Elefant tank still atop the flatbed transport.

looking down the barrel of the massive Elefant, it appears the crew just recently left.

An enemy air identification flag makes for a great souvenir.

His buddy reminds him of the ever present danger of booby traps.

Shouting over a hastily evacuated station shows troops were in disarray.

It's time to go back and report what we found here.

Railway Runaway - a Rural Retreat

2009-03-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Surprise attack has a german repair shop position surprised and on the run.

With hardly any time to mount a counter attack, foot soldiers retreat to a safer postion.

With no time to react, the allies caught the enemy by surprise.

From the point of view of our retreating soldiers - I would not mess with a Sherman Tank either.

In the glaring morning sun, the allies gain more ground.

The view of the attack from inside the repair shop.

One soldier injured in the initial attack, gives up the fight as he sits and waits for capture near his fallen comrade.

ARDENNES DECISION

2009-03-07T03:37:00.000-08:00

This small 'firewood-mounted' scene was shot in my back yard in Croton. It was my first attempt at shooting with natural backgrounds. I think the scene captures the cold biting temperatures that soldiers faced during the Battle of the Bulge.

Time is running out, there's a narrow window of opportunity to make an escape.

There might be an ambush in that direction.

For some, this retreat can't happen soon enough.